A DIGITAL health program, mPATH-Lung, has been shown to significantly improves lung cancer screening (LCS) rates among high-risk individuals. This new initiative was presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2024, 6-9 October, in Boston, Massachusetts. Despite public campaigns, LCS rates in the United States have remained below 20%, but mPATH-Lung has shown promising results in addressing this gap.
The program, developed as a direct-to-patient digital tool, identifies eligible individuals, educates them about LCS, and allows them to request a chest CT scan without the need for a primary care visit. This intervention was tested in a multisite randomized controlled trial, and showed a 44% increase in the number of patients completing lung cancer screening compared to those receiving usual care.
The study, conducted between April 2022 and May 2023, randomized over 1,300 patients between the ages of 50 and 76, all current or former smokers. In the mPATH-Lung group, 24.5% completed a CT scan within 16 weeks, compared to just 17% in the control group. Orders for screening were also significantly higher in the intervention group (29.6% vs. 18.8%).
The program demonstrated consistent benefits across various patient demographics, including age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. According to lead researcher David Miller, professor of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, “By automating and simplifying the screening process, mPATH-Lung could help overcome system-level barriers and increase lung cancer screening rates.”
With lung cancer as one of the leading causes of cancer deaths, digital health innovations like mPATH-Lung may play a crucial role in early detection and improving outcomes for high-risk populations.
Reference: Miller D et al. A direct-to-patient digital health program increases lung cancer screening: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of mPATH-Lung. Abstract 4056. CHEST 2024. October 6-9, 2024.
Anaya Malik | AMJ
